Monday, June 21, 2010

Godless Billboard Above Billy Graham Parkway

The Charlotte Atheists & Agnostics are pleased to announce their sponsorship of the new "One Nation Indivisible" billboard that now stands tall above Billy Graham Parkway and Boyer St.

The billboard will be up for four weeks and is part of a larger state-wide campaign that has billboards in Asheville, Greensboro, Wilmington, Raleigh, and Winston-Salem.

"This is a positive message of unity and inclusion for all Americans," said Joseph McDaniel Stewart, vice president of FreeThoughtAction. "It is designed to bring atheists and theists together as patriots in a shared society."

Stewart added: "When the words 'under God' were inserted into the Pledge of Allegiance between 'one nation' and 'indivisible,' they made a lie out of both those ideals because you can’t have an indivisible nation if you draw a line between the godly and godless. We all belong here."

24 comments:

I strongly applaud both the patriotism in the billboard and the positive message Stewart speaks of. It is exactly as he says. It is a message of "unity and inclusion". I don't understand the purpose of placing it over the Billy Graham Parkway, though. It seems to purposefully destroy that hope of "unity and inclusion" by targeting an evangelist's honor, name, and beliefs.

DM, your meds are by your bed and there's water in the fridge. I'm sure you'll feel better after you take them.In the mean time maybe add this to your arsenal: http://www.jesus-is-savior.com/Basics/god_loves_sinners.htmIt'd be nice if all the Christians could at least get on the same page.

Why can't an atheist billboard be on Billy Graham Parkway? In fact, I don't think the group had a decision on the placement, but are you seriously saying that all billboards placed along that particular highway need to be things that would please Mr. Graham?

Perhaps a coin slot for all drivers to donate their hard-earned money to the church? Would that be more appropriate?

I am a Christian & it saddens me to read this article. I do not like the billboard nor like that "under God" is being removed. It doesn't change my belief but makes my heart sad. I can appreciate the desire for all to be accepted & undivided however, life is not that way. Choices must be made. I choose to follow Christ. Unfortunately this is just the beginning & there's much more saddness ahead. I'm glad my eternity is secure & this is out of my hands to handle.

@Tammy...you said it exactly - you CHOSE to follow Christ. Not everyone believes in your god or religion. Isn't America about personal freedoms, including religious freedoms as well as the freedom not to practice a religion?

So there's one billboard that doesn't mention your god. I drive by at least 6 churches everyday with a doomsday message about 'turn or burn.' I'm offended by that.

the confusion lies when someone purports to be a christian and they just want a vehicle to use as their personal pulpit. Real Christians aren't like that. No more than the average muslim could be defined as terrorists. There are extremists in all movements including atheists and agnostics. Our constitution does not state the term separation of church and stay. What is does say that congress will make no law respecting a specific religion. The reason why is that is what they were fleeing. A nation that allowed them only to worship in specific ways and they wanted freedom from government interfering in religion.

Why is so hard for our society and in specific some of more strict religious people to allow others to have their own thoughts and beliefs especially when it come to "God"? I am not asking someone who believes in God to stop having Faith and stop attending church. I am just asking for them to have the understanding that I have the ability to come to a perfectly logical decision, within my own life, about whether I chose to have religius beliefs. I simply do not want them to infringe upon my belief system or try to make me feel like I am a terrible person for trying to do what makes me feel happy. Whatever happened to the golden rule of "do unto others", or do people who read the bible use this just when they want to? We are one society and what makes us so great is that we are all so different. If the churches just stopped trying to "assimilate" everyone into their faith, maybe they would get a chance to get to know some more of their fellow humans that their so called "God" created and I guarantee that they would be happily surprised.

The funny part is that the sign includes ALL our believers here, they just would rather not be all together in something. How a sign that wants us all to be together is divisive to some kind of says it all, don't you think?

Brenda, It is wonderful that you trust in God for your faith but why is so important to some religious people that I trust in him? I choose not to believe in God but rather that I am a good person, a good wife, a good mother, a good daugther, a good friend. God does not come into play for me to be able to function in life. I rely and have trust in my abilities as well as have trust in the support that I get from my family and my friends.

Hannah, you're right. I've since found out that placement of the billboard wasn't up to the group. Whatever one's thoughts about Billy Graham might be, though, the parkway was named in honor of him. I feel that if the parkway had been singled out for placement of the billboard, it would have been tactless. Whether you agree with Dr Martin Luther King Jr or not, would you not agree that placing something (say, a Confederate flag) over something honoring him would be tactless? I don't compare the billboard to the Confederate flag, I'm simply using it as an example.

Why don't people who don't believe write their own slogans, creeds, or sayings instead of attacking some other author's creation. Say your own and I won't say anything or try to change it. Just leave others alone. It's all about freedom of speech. So go ahead and "out do it!" (That is if you can, not having Gods gift to do it)

This really breaks my heart, as good as God has been to our great nation in the past. It is becuase we have left God out of everything that we are in the shape we are in now. When we repent and turn from our wicked ways, and pray and ask God to forgive us, then will he hear from heaven and heal our land. Until then things are goint to get worse. Will be praying for you all, that God will open your blink eyes.

Uh, Trent, you DID just compare an atheist group to racist Confederates. Are you kidding me? That is not even remotely the same thing. What the hell has happened to you?

And to one of the ridiculous Anonymouses who said we need to write our own slogans---READ the ARTICLE, and then you would learn that the Pledge of Allegiance did NOT ORIGINALLY have the words under god. What is it with Christians/conservatives taking the time to comment on something when THEY HAVEN'T EVEN READ IT FIRST?!?!

"Why don't people who don't believe write their own slogans, creeds, or sayings instead of attacking some other author's creation."

(Anonymous from June 22, 2010 9:39 PM.)

**Facepalm** Irony meter pegs out. The billboard IS the author's creation: Bellamy did not include "under God" in his original work: That was added by the Government in 1954 in violation of the 1st Amendment.

"Why don't people who don't believe write their own slogans, creeds, or sayings instead of attacking some other author's creation."

Irony just doesn't get any better than with religious people. The original pledge of allegiance didn't mention god. Just as with the unconstitutional "In God We Trust" that didn't come until the Red Scare of the 1950s, when Christians thought that Jesus needed to protect everyone from the communists.It was Christians who took an existing symbol and defaced it with their ideology. And then made everyone buy into that lie.

It's also doubly ironic, since there is nothing more divisive in the world than religion.